Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Clashes in Sana’a between the Republican Guard and Hashid tribesmen kill one civilian and injure three others; three al Shabaab militants and six al Qaeda-linked militants reportedly killed by airstrike in Abyan governorate

Horn of Africa: KDF and TFG troops kill 10 al Shabaab militants in Lower Jubba region; Kenyan air raid targets villages in Gedo region in southern Somalia; suspected Somali pirates hijack Italian cargo ship with a crew of 18 off Gulf of Oman

Yemen Security Brief

• Witnesses reported that clashes between the Republican Guard and gunmen loyal to Hashid tribal confederation leader Sheikh Sadiq al Ahmar broke out in Sana’a near the interior ministry in Amran Street in Hasaba neighborhood. One Yemeni civilian was killed and three more were injured. The incident took place when the military commission attempted to remove barriers.[1]

• Suna Times reported that three al Shabaab militants and six al Qaeda-linked militants were killed by an airstrike in Abyan governorate. The Somali consul in Yemen, Hussein Haji Ahmed, confirmed the report.[2]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Somali government officials reported that at least 10 al Shabaab militants were killed by Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) troops in Lower Jubba region in southern Somalia. Witnesses stated that the attack started when al Shabaab militants launched an offensive on a joint KDF-TFG military base in Burgabo in southern Somalia.[3]

• Eyewitnesses say that two Kenyan fighter jets bombed villages near Garbaharey in Gedo region in Somalia. An unspecified number of people died from the air raid. The strikes occurred between al Adde and Likolay villages in Gedo.[4]

• Indian officials reported that alleged Somali pirates hijacked an Italian cargo ship Enrico Levoli off the Gulf of Oman. The crew consisted of seven Indians, six Italians, and five Ukrainians.[5]